Transportation is an important activity around the world because of its impact on the environment, economy, and well-being of individuals. Traffic jams affecting the foregoing are prevalent in many cities and other areas where control of the traffic is sub-optimal. Proper traffic control is a complex task that is increasing in complexity because of increasing numbers of traffic objects (vehicles, pedestrians, etc.) and their varying needs. Traffic disorder persists and efficient control of pedestrian traffic in conjunction with vehicular traffic has been left aside. Additionally, the realistic prospect of self-driving cars stems a demand for implementation of more friendly, adaptable, and powerful traffic control approaches.
Generally, traffic lights and other traffic control signals work based on historical records indicating time of day when there may be a situation that produces a change in traffic (especially accidents). Problems can arise when traffic control signals work with information that is out of date, potentially resulting in heavier traffic congestion and other issues. Meanwhile, real-time traffic information may be available online but not used to efficiently control traffic signals.